


Aww, Rats

by ThisWasInevitable



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hero! Duck, Let Indrid heal from trauma 2020, M/M, Pets, Rats, TAZ Amnesty, Villain! Indrid, set after "The Thrilling Adventures of the Green Knight"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:02:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25476598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisWasInevitable/pseuds/ThisWasInevitable
Summary: Ex-villain The Moth is making a life for himself with his beloved Green Knight. Said life now includes some animal companions, his boyfriend's attempt to help him recover from the sorrows of his past.OrDuck asks if Indrid wants to get a pet rat. Fluff ensues.This is a one-shot set in my superhero AU, but you can read it as a standalone pretty easily.
Relationships: Indrid Cold/Duck Newton
Comments: 2
Kudos: 66





	Aww, Rats

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to Tikkikwami, MorganEAshton, and RobotRabbit for playing in this space with me on Discord.

Duck is making the face again. The where he’s trying not to be outwardly horrified at something that happened to Indrid when he was growing up, but still wishes to communicate that said thing was fucked up. 

They’d been looking at a box of childhood photos sent by Jane, and Duck was telling him about the cat he had who would climb trees and then jump down on unsuspecting dogs. Indrid, in turn, had begun talking about Squeak, his rat, and realized too late that there was no way to end the story pleasantly.

“Christ, ‘Drid, I’m sorry.”

“It is...well, it is not alright, but it is so far in the past that the pain is archival rather than urgent.”

The conversation moves on to happier topics, and Indrid thinks nothing more of it until they’re sitting in bed several days later and he sees a very unexpected question coming. 

“Would you wanna have a rat again?”

“Yes. I like them. They are intelligent and affectionate, and I admire their ability to survive.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to bring another critter into the house.”

“Chicken might.” Indrid indicates the Sphynx Cat currently kneading Duck’s leg. 

“She’s getting mellow in her old age. Besides, you tellin me you couldn’t build some kind of hyper-secure rat enclosure?”

“Of course I could. I just…” 

It all bubbles up; _villain, monster, cruel, destined to harm, not to nurture._

“Stay with me, sugar.” Duck softly strokes his hair. 

“...I have not been the primary source of care for another creature since Squeak.”

“Don’t gotta decide right now. But you look after this monster just fine” he scritches Chicken’s head, “and you look after me too.”

Indrid removes his glasses, turning them over in his hands.

“Does Juno still have a friend at the animal shelter?”

\--------------------------------------------  
The Kepopolis ASPCA is immense, but the small animal wing is comparatively small. Indrid stands before the wall of rat cages, examining each occupant carefully. He has no idea how one selects a pet, and thus far everyone’s said he will “just know” when he’s found the right fit. 

His eye keeps shifting back to a black rat, and he asks the affable young woman if he can try holding it. 

“He’s a little shy, poor thing. The guy who dropped him off said he was the worst behaved rat in the world and seemed pretty angry that he did things like chew on stuff or have an accident because no one had changed his litter in a while.”

“In other words, he acted like a rat.”

“Exactly. Didn’t even name him.” She gently sets the rat in Indrid’s palms. It sniffs him, makes an adorable sound when he tentatively pets his nose. 

“That _is_ a shame” Indrid holds him up eye level and the rat cocks his head, “tell me, little friend, how do you feel about ‘Void?’”

\----------------------------------------------------------

Duck shoulders the largest bag of cat food he can find and heads back towards the section of the pet store where he last saw his boyfriend. Void is waiting for them in the car, Indrid having grown more and more excited with each step of the adoption process, flapping his hands when they’d slid into the car, small carrier set by his feet.

Indrid is still quieter than moth wings when he moves, so it’s only the squeaky wheels of the cart that keep Duck from colliding with it when he rounds a corner. 

“Sure you ain’t got enough stuff?” He smirks. 

Indrid looks at the overflowing cart, then back at him, “Yes. And this cage is merely a starter for him, until I can build him something more fitting.”

The evening is spent getting Void set up in the house, Chicken finding the new roommate to be interesting, but less so than the new catnip squirrel Duck bought her. 

By the time Duck gets home from work the next day, his boyfriend is standing proudly in a black tank top and rubber-duck pajama pants, surveying the rat run that spans half the house. Void perches on his shoulder, Indrid cooing over him as he places him into the enclosure. 

“Damn, sugar, that’s impressive--is that mini-super villain lair?”

“Yes, with a super hero one on the other end of the rat park.” Indrid picks up a bag of treats. 

“Please tell me that ain’t a real supercomputer.”

“No no, just a puzzle toy. See?” He slips treats into the top of the silver and black box, Void immediately scurrying up to investigate, “he has to press buttons and turn knobs to get them out.”

They watch Void problem solve for a moment, then Indrid turns, “well, that should keep him occupied. Now tell me, chivalrous one” a purr enters his voice, “would you like to have your way with me now, or after dinner?”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the next two weeks, any time Indrid is home, Void is with him. Duck gets used to seeing the rat perched on Indrid’s shoulder as he draws, or the taller man slipping a treat into his sweatshirt pocket for a waiting mouth. It does startle him the first few times Void pops out of the sleeve of his bathrobe, nose wiggling, but it makes him laugh every time all the same. 

They’re getting ready for bed one night when Indrid turns to him, “I need to get a mischief.”

“You get into plenty of that.”

A chuckle and a shake of the head, “A mischief is what one calls a group of rats. I have been doing more research on how to enrich Void’s surroundings, and it seems the recommendation is that rats be kept in pairs or groups. They are social.”

“You thinkin Void needs a friend?”

“Or two, yes. I do not wish for him to be lonely, but I did not want to bring more animals into the house without asking.”

“Fine by me, seems like Ratopia is more’n big enough for a crowd.” Duck kisses his cheek as Indrid grabs his phone, pressing several buttons in a flash. 

“It is done.”

“You had ‘em picked out already, didn’t you?”

“A good hero is prepared for all outcomes, is he not?” Indrid grins as he crawls under the covers.

“Yeah, he is.” Duck slides in on his side of the bed, bringing Indrid into his arms with a single tug of the hand, “That does raise a new question though; what are we gonna name this bunch?”

\------------------------------------------

The names for three of the four new rats come easily: the white one is Frost, the blonde-ish one Gosling, and the speckled one Thief (christened thus because the first thing he did upon entering Ratopia was pilfer some treats from where Void piled them). The chunky brown one, however, poses a challenge. 

“Nothing seems right.” Indrid pets the unnamed creature, “but I am sure we will come up with something soon.”

He observes the rats carefully over the next few days, to be sure everyone is getting along. Void adjusts well to his new companions, but quickly develops an affinity for the brown one. They groom each other, cuddle up together constantly and whenever Indrid takes one out the other tries to follow. 

A week after getting them, Indrid is drawing at the kitchen table when Void begins raising a fuss, squeaking and tossing his loudest toy until Indrid comes over. 

“What is wrong little oh, oh dear.” He watches as Void scurries to his friend, who stands and moves with a limp that wasn’t there yesterday. 

The next morning he stops by the vet, a woman who specializes in caring for the animal companions of supers of all kinds. Indrid likes both how unflappable this makes her and the fact that he can relax in her office; it’s an agreed upon neutral zone, because nobody likes the idea of having to duel an archenemy while waiting for their cat to get spayed.

“It looks like he might have landed funny and sprained it. I’d like to keep him overnight and check a few things, just to be safe, but it should be a simple case of keeping him on bedrest until it heals.”

Indrid’s rounds are quiet, Duck joining him for the evening shift where the worst they have to do is foil a stalker. 

When they return home, Void stands up in his hind legs, peering about the room. When Indrid comes to say hello, he’s allowed only a cursory scratch of the head before the rat begins pacing. Void is similarly antsy all through the next day, and not even his favorite treat (a banana chip) will soothe him. It’s only when Duck arrives home a little after five, having picked up the injured rat on his way home, that things change. 

Void is out of Indrid’s pocket, up Duck’s leg, and to the front of the carrier before either human can stop him, squeaking and biting the bars until Indrid eases him off. 

“Small one, Duck cannot put him back unless you move.” Indrid coos and soothes until the brown rat is in his bed in Ratopia, at which point Void dashes in after him. 

“Looks like they missed each other.” Duck stands next to Indrid as Void and his friend groom each other. Void pulls back, scampers away, then returns with the dried banana, offering it to him. 

“He...saved it for him.” Indrid blinks, surprised, and watches carefully as the brown rat nibbles the treat, Void still a bit agitated. The other rat sets the treat down, proceeds to groom Void until he’s no longer breathing so rapidly. 

“Guess they’re more bonded than we thought.”

“Indeed.”

Indrid confirms this theory the next morning, when he goes to check on the brown rat and give him the pain medication from the vet. He’s running through his plans for the day and watching the futures to be sure no villains are planning anything massive, when a sharp pain spikes through his hand. 

It’s the first, and only, time Void bites him. 

“Void, I need to take him out to make sure he is alright.”

The black rat drapes himself over his friend, and Indrid sees that if he tries again, he’ll get bitten once more. Which is not pleasant. 

“Duck? I require your enhanced durability.”

“That ain’t a promisin’ request.” Duck pads in from the bedroom, still in his boxers. 

“Just lift Void long enough for me to get the other one out.”

“Okay c’mon little buddy, ahah, no bitin’, that ain’t polite.”

“Look” Indrid holds the brown rat where Void can see as he tends to him, “see? I am not hurting him. I am taking care of him. There, all done. Now you and Mallard can go back to what you were doing.” He sets Mallard down carefully, Duck doing the same with Void.

“That’s the name you chose?”

“Yes. I think it suits him.”

Duck watches as the two rats greet each other happily before cuddling up in a pile, “Y’know, I think you’re right.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Getting strapped to the table was a less likely future, but Indrid is not worried. He’s bored, his auto-pick needing more time than usual to fully disable his restraints. There must be some way to pass the time. 

“...Would anybody like to see some pictures of my rats?”

The two henchmen watching him trade a confused look. 

“Uh, you’re strapped to a torture table.”

“Yes, but you could hand me my phone.”

“That...that wasn’t my point.”

“I have made more terrifying torture devices than this in my sleep. Are you sure you do not wish to see the photos? There is a little black one who is particularly adorable.”

Baron Thorne, the orchestrator of this particular scheme, calls over his shoulder, “one of you shut The Moth up!”

A _click_ audible to Indrid’s ears alone.

“Oh very well, your loss.” He flips up the restraints and hops off the table, “you are going to like what you see now far, far less.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------

“My love, have you seen....is that a tiny ranger hat you’re putting on Mallard?”

“Yep, thought he’d look cute in one.”

“That is truly delightful. Also the perfect opportunity to tell you that I made Void a tiny version of my wings.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

“Duck! Void is my heart rat!”

Duck crosses his fingers that this is something cute and not a tech experiment gone wrong as Indrid enters the room, grinning and flapping excitedly. 

“It is the term used by rat keepers to describe a rat one bonds the most with. Anyway” he gathers an armful of clothing, “I will be adding specialized pockets to all my clothing so Void can sit near my heart.”

Duck can’t say he’s all that surprised; while Indrid dotes on all of his rats, Void does seem to hold a place of honor. He’s most often the rat on his shoulder or in his pocket, the one who is fastest to the door when Indrid opens it to greet the mischief. He also seems rather responsive to Indrid, and Duck swears there are days when the rat senses something is wrong, will groom Indrid’s hair or bring him random items as if trying to cheer him up.

And while Indrid has been teaching each of the five their own, unique tricks, Void’s are by far the most complex, and the ones most tied to Indrid’s own actions. Void has learned to fetch pencils for drawing and small tools for tinkering. Indrid even made a special coating (and special shampoo to remove said coating) so Void could safely work in the lab at the Pine Guard's stronghold with him. 

_“Uh, Duck” Aubrey taps his shoulder as he’s re-coiling his smartwhips after testing an upgrade, “Void has a knife.”_

_“Void, no!”_

_“Void, yes.” Indrid calmly opens his hand so the rat can drop the small penknife into it, “I need it to open this compartment.” With his free hand he reaches into a drawer at his station and removes a healthy treat, Void squeaking happily when he places it before him._

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ah! ‘Drid, you didn’t tell me the wings were functional!”

“I assumed that was obvious. Do not worry, it will be fine.”

_Crash_

“Mostly fine.”

“He’s got your Gushers.”

“Void, you get back here right now young man!”  
\----------------------------------------------------

The Slasher can’t believe his luck; after weeks of searching, he’s located the residence of the Green Knight, golden boy of Kepopolis and man who has twice foiled his brilliant plans in the two months since the villain arrived in town. 

He can’t understand why no other villains have tried this; sure, the security measures take ten tries to override, but that will be a small price to pay for ridding the city of one of it’s most meddlesome heroes. 

The instant his boots hit the floor of the darkened living room, a single lamp turns on. Sitting in a chair is a tall, wiry man with silver hair and red glasses.

“Hello. Please leave.”

He takes in the man’s fuzzy pajamas, “Oh, you’re that moth guy. You better move, or I’ll make you move.”

The Moth glances at his nails, thoroughly disinterested, “No, you will not.” 

In the darkness behind him there’s a strange skittering, and suddenly The Slasher is facing down fifty pairs of reflective, beady, hungry eyes. He steps back, alarmed, and The Moth grins, wide and predatory. 

“The Green Knight is _mine_. If you forget that again, I will feed you to them.” He gestures to the waiting eyes.

The Slasher does not need to be told again, and leaves through the window twice as fast as he arrives.

\-----------------------------------------

Indrid switches on the lights and re-arms the security system (to full strength this time).

“You all did so well. Who would like a treat?”

The five rats blink curiously up at him as he removes the optical duplicators from their noses (the easiest way to make his five rats become fifty).

“Here, I got ‘em.” Duck steps for the hall where he was waiting, just in case, and hands Indrid the dried berries. 

“Do not worry, my dears” Indrid passes out the rewards, “I will not ever actually feed you human. I do not think it is good for you.”

“Squeak.”

“Void, language.”

\--------------------------------------------------

Duck lays on the floor, watches the rats scampering over the butcher paper, and remains pleased with himself. He bought Indrid edible, rat-safe paint for his birthday, and both the rats and his boyfriend seem to enjoy it. 

Right now, he’s rat watching solo, as Indrid is off on a very tough mission. Once every few months, he journeys to the facility where his brother, The Flame, is being held, to be certain the villain is not planning anything or successfully working towards escape. 

Duck knows the visits serve a second purpose; Indrid wants to see if somehow, some way, his brother could forgo his old ways and try to do good rather than evil. Duck isn’t optimistic. Unlike Indrid, The Flame didn’t see villainy as a means of survival; he reveled in it, always chose the course of action that maximized the suffering of others. Every time Indrid speaks with him, he returns worse for wear, and Duck wishes he would stick to making sure the Flame can’t hurt anyone ever again rather than trying to reason with him. 

“It ain’t your job to save him. Not when you’re the person he’s hurt the most.”

“A villain would let him rot with no thought to helping him. I am no longer a villain.”

There are multiple counterarguments, but Duck knows how stubborn Indrid can be. And that this is his path to tread, his history to sort out. 

Gosling and Mallard run close enough so he can pet them, while Void climbs his arm and tries grooming his face. A car door slams outside and he stands, Void coming with him, to greet his boyfriend.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 _Liar, traitor, coward, failure._

It is never easy seeing Apollo. 

His brother remains cruel, still knows exactly how to wound him, even if he is getting better at keeping the hurts from sinking too deep.   
There are no futures where he escapes, and Stern takes Indrid’s advice seriously, allowing only a few heavily vetted employees to have any contact with the villain. The fewer points of potential manipulation, the safer everyone will be. 

_“Indrid” Joseph’s hand rests on his shoulder as he gathers his things, “you don’t have to keep doing this. The Flame isn’t your responsibility, at this point he’s mine. Even if the worst were to happen, it wouldn’t be your fault.”_

_“I know him better than anyone else. I can give you insights no one else can. And it makes me feel better to do so.”_

_“If you want to keep helping us this way, I’m not going to stop you. But just...just remember what I said, okay?”_

He knows Joseph means well. He knows he will never quite understand. Apollo is not his responsibility, that is true (perhaps). But atonement for their shared past falls to Indrid alone. 

Stepping into the apartment he knows what he will see, but it brightens his mood all the same. 

“Hey, sugar.” Duck rounds the couch, taking his hands and kissing him gently. Little paws scurry up his arm, Void squeaking excitedly.

“Guess I ain’t the only one who missed you.”

“I missed you as well, my love. And you too” He runs his fingers over Voids fur; the texture is a favorite stim of his, an added bonus of his animal companions, “and I missed all of you as well.” He settles on the floor so the rest of the mischief can greet him, so Duck can bring him his favorite pizza and cuddle up next to him, so he can forget--or try to--all the memories the afternoon has dragged to the surface. 

He wakes up in a panic that night, as he knew he would; seeing his brother always brings flashbacks and night terrors. Duck doesn’t awaken, which is a sign Indrid wasn’t yelling in his sleep. He’s grateful the hero is still dreaming peacefully. There will come a day where he never feels as if the scars of his past are a burden to Duck, but that day has not yet arrived. 

The living room is quiet, the mischief asleep in their home and Chicken curled up on the bed. He sits on the couch, all the lights off, trying to ground himself, to remember where he is. Who he is. 

“Squeak?”

Void is poking at the plexiglass cube nearest to him, and when he raises the nearby door the rat skitters out and into his hand. 

“I am safe. He cannot find me here.” 

Ratopia has drop down shields in the event of an explosion or building collapse. And it is fire-proof. Not just any fire either. The kind, extra hot and hard to douse, that he helped his brother design long ago. 

“He cannot harm me anymore.”

_Villain, monster, murderer, brother_

Indrid slumps down, sniffling. Void watches him, then darts into the darkness. 

_Murderer, liar, coward, killer_

“Squeak.” 

The thin weave of a tissue bums his thumb. Gingerly, he pulls the offering from Void’s mouth, and blows his nose. 

“Thank you, little one.” He wipes his eyes, sniffs again, and Void returns with another tissue. When the rat runs off the third time, Indrid giggles weakly as he tries valiantly to drag the entire box over to him.

“Here, lemme get that.” The drawl is sleepy as Duck sets the box on the arm of the couch. 

“Thank you, chivalrous one.” Indrid murmurs as Duck sits next to him and opens his arms. 

“Any time, sugar.” Duck strokes his hair, nuzzles his cheek, “what do you need?”

“Just to be held. To be safe.”

“Think I can manage that.” Duck kisses his forehead. 

A tug on his bathrobe signals Void climbing up the fabric, the rat nestling in his pocket until Indrid takes him out, pets him over and over until his heart is no longer hammering in his throat and the shadows of his past recede.

“I love our little family.” He whispers, resting further in the hero’s embrace. 

“I love it too.”

Indrid glances up at the sleeping mischief, down at Void. Sighs at the feeling of Duck’s hands on his skin, the way their bodies fit together in the peace of their home. He helped create this. He will help it flourish and grow. 

Indrid smiles for the first time all day. 

Some responsibilities are terrible indeed; but some are more wonderful than he ever thought possible.


End file.
